“A transparency measure to require corporations to report to the state Air Resources Board may sound like just a record-keeping exercise. But this would be groundbreaking legislation, with the potential to reach far beyond California’s borders by forcing some of the world’s biggest businesses to be honest about the damage they are causing.”

“But some big companies like Ikea, Microsoft and Salesforce are backing the legislation, arguing that a verified, global standard for disclosure would level the playing field for companies that already publish their full emissions inventories.”

“This bill’s disclosure requirements are broader than those under consideration by the Securities and Exchange Commission, because they would apply to both public and privately held companies. Businesses would have to provide a top-to-bottom picture of the emissions attributable to them, from their supply chains to the end use of their products.”